The Tampa Bay Buccaneers (3-5) pulled off a 16-0, rain-soaked home victory against the Atlanta Falcons (3-5) on Sunday with a method not seen since 1945.
With quarterback Baker Mayfield not completing any of his three passes, the Buccaneers are now the first team with no completions in a game since the 1974 Buffalo Bills, who won their completion-less game 16-12 against the New York Jets. Tampa Bay is also the first team since the 1945 Pittsburgh Steelers to win a game by double digits without having a completion. Those Steelers beat the Cardinals 23-0 in that game. Finally, the Buccaneers became the first team to produce no completions and over 300 yards rushing (324) in a game since the Boston Braves, now the Washington Commanders, in 1933.
Mayfield returned from a three-game absence because of a right thumb dislocation in Tampa Bay's 43-13 road win at the Carolina Panthers in Week 7, and with the heavy rain in Tampa on Sunday, the Buccaneers chose to lean exclusively on their ground game. They racked up 324 yards rushing, with running back Bucky Irving leading the way with 170 yards rushing and a touchdown on 27 carries. He also averaged 6.3 yards per carry. No. 2 running back Kenneth Gainwell also chipped in another 140 yards rushing on 25 carries for a 5.6 yards-per-carry average. Mayfield added 14 yards on the ground on four carries.
Irving and Gainwell are now the first teammate duo in NFL history to each have 25-plus carries and 125-plus rushing yards in the same game.
Incredibly, the Buccaneers have now won consecutive games against their NFC South division rivals, with Mayfield completing seven of his 14 throws for 64 yards and a touchdown in the last two weeks. They have survived a malfunctioning passing game because of their run game and smothering defense. In Week 7, they forced four Panthers turnovers, including a 32-yard fumble return touchdown.
On Sunday against the Falcons, they forced Atlanta quarterback Michael Penix Jr. into a career-high four interceptions, and he completed just eight of his 24 throws for 125 yards. This is the first time a Falcons quarterback has thrown four interceptions in a game since Penix Jr.'s predecessor, Kirk Cousins, in a 17-13 Week 13 loss against the Los Angeles Chargers in the 2024 season.
The Panthers stayed in first place in the NFC South with a 3-4 record entering Week 9, with the Buccaneers (3-5) and the Falcons (3-5) right behind them. The New Orleans Saints sit in last place at 2-5 and are on a bye in Week 8. Through the first half of the season, the NFC South remains the most wide-open, wacky division in the NFL.
